Recipe for Foxtail Millet Idli
Millets are a great addition to your meals. They are high in protein and fibres and are light on the stomach. They come in many varieties, and each millet has unique nutritional benefits. If you are looking for Millet Recipes, you can check out recipes for Ragi Dosa ( Finger Millet Dosa), Dal Bajra Parantha ( Pearl Millet Parantha), Mooli Bajra Thalipeeth ( Raddish and Pearl Millet Thalipeeth) and Multigrain Methi Parantha.
Recently, on a visit to a local supermarket, I found Foxtail Millet ( called Kangni in Hindi and Goldhirse in German) and decided to try some recipes with it. So, I made Foxtail Millet Idli, and it turned out great. I replaced rice with millet in the traditional idli recipe, and the results were fantastic. All I had to do was experiment a couple of times with the right proportions to get perfectly soft and fluffy idlis.
I served them with Mixed Vegetable Chutney.
So, here goes my Foxtail Millet Idli Recipe.
Ingredients required for Foxtail Millet Idli:
- 3 Cups Foxtail Millet
- 1 Cup Urad Dal ( Black Gram without Skin)
- Water; to soak the grains, make the batter, and adjust the consistency
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (optional)
- Ghee, to grease the idli plates
Method to make Foxtail Millet Idli:
Wash the millet and soak them in about 3 cups of water for four hours.
Wash the lentils and soak them in 2 1/2 cups of water for four hours.
After 4 hours, grind them to a fine batter. You will not need extra water to grind it. But if you do, please add it. Ensure that the batter is neither too thick nor too thin.
Whisk it well for a minute. Then cover and keep it for overnight fermentation.
The next day, add salt and mix well. Add a little water if needed to adjust the consistency.
Heat water in the idli steamer.
Grease the idli plates. Pour portions of the batter into each section.
When the water in the steamer starts bubbling, place the idli plates.
Steam for 15 minutes. After that, remove from heat and let the idlis stay in the steamer for 2-3 minutes.
Then, remove the plates. Rest them on the kitchen counter for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle some water on the plates. That will make it easy to remove the idlis from the idli plates.
Remove and serve them hot with ghee and chutney. I served these idlis with Karnataka Style Tomato and Peanut Chutney. You can serve it with any chutney that you like. Check out my 13 Chutney recipes. 
Some Notes:
- You can use this batter for about two days. After the first day, keep the leftover batter in the refrigerator. The next day, let the batter come to room temperature before you use it to make idlis.
- After the second day, the batter becomes overly sour. And the idlis made after the second day will not be as light and fluffy. If you have leftover batter after the second day, make Millet Dosa.
About Ingredient sourcing in Germany:
You can get Foxtail Millet easily in any German supermarket. However, for the rest of the ingredients, you can check any Indian shop near you or the online store of Spicelands. They are a big store in Frankfurt, delivering all across Germany.
Alternatively, you can even buy these ingredients from amazon.de. Links are given below:
Foxtail Millet: https://amzn.to/43nivCA
Salt: https://amzn.to/3ACstDM
Urad Dal: https://amzn.to/3MQHPLV
Ghee: https://amzn.to/45xdHwc ( Buy or make at home. Check my article about Ghee)
Equipment needed for the recipe:
Please note that I use all these in my kitchen. I am happy and satisfied with these products, and hence, I recommend these to my readers.
Mixing Bowl: https://amzn.to/3V8ZPU
Mixer:
Option 1 Bosch: https://amzn.to/3LzMbGF (Perfect for Indian cooking, with great reviews)
Option 2: Preethi: https://amzn.to/3n9XCLH ( I use this. It is perfect for Indian cooking, but priced higher than Bosch)
Idli Steamer: I bought mine from India; however, if you don’t have one, check at Spicelands.
Here is the recipe in printable format:
Recipe for Foxtail Millet Idli
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Idli Steamer with plates
- Mixer grinder
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Foxtail Millets
- 1 Cup Urad Dal ( Black Gram without Skin)
- Water; to soak the grains, make the batter, and to adjust the consistency
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (optional)
- Ghee, to grease the idli plates
Instructions
- Wash the millet and soak them in about 3 cups of water for four hours.
- Wash the lentils and soak them in 2 1/2 cups of water for four hours.
- After 4 hours, grind them to a fine batter. You will not need extra water to grind it. But if you do, please add it. Ensure that the batter is neither too thick nor too thin.
- Whisk it well for a minute. Then cover and keep it for overnight fermentation.
- The next day, add salt and mix well. Add a little water if needed to adjust the consistency.
- Heat water in the idli steamer.
- Grease the idli plates. Pour portions of the batter into each section.
- When the water in the steamer starts bubbling, place the idli plates.
- Steam for 15 minutes. After that, remove from heat and let the idlis stay in the steamer for 2-3 minutes.
- Then remove the plates. Rest them on the kitchen counter for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle some water on the plates. That will make it easy to remove the idlis from the idli plates.
- Remove and serve them hot with ghee and any chutney of your choice.
Check out other recipes from my kitchen here.
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